Art and Design Students Create Public Mural for Montclair

Collaboration between University and Montclair Arts Council yields work of art for the Township of Montclair

Montclair's latest public work of art, a mural created by Montclair State University Art and Design students.

Thanks to the creativity and hard
work of students and faculty from the Art and Design department of Montclair
State University’s College of the Arts, and with the cooperation and support of
the Montclair Arts Council and several local businesses and individuals, the
Township of Montclair is now the proud beneficiary of a beautiful outdoor mural.
Created especially for the township by the students, the mural is a visual
sampling of some of Montclair’s historical events and characters, intertwined
with imagery of its abundant flora and historical homes, and the words of
poets, including Walt Whitman.

The mural has been installed in the
space between the Bamboo Asian Bistro and the Montclair Char Broil Diner, in
the 600 block of Valley Road in Montclair, and is an impressive, 8-foot-by-35-foot,
acrylic-on-canvas work. Five undergraduate and five graduate art and design
students—under the leadership of Julie Heffernan, associate professor of art
and design, and adjunct instructor Zachary Wollard—worked for more than a
semester to create the mural, Montclair’s newest public work of art.

According to Heffernan, the project
was not only a creative experience for the students, but also an educational
one. “I think the process of learning
how to think collaboratively was a challenge for some students in the
beginning,” she recalls. “But it taught them a lot about public art and
thinking in terms of a wide, diverse audience, and about how to work with
others. The esprit de corps among the group helped the project come to a
rousing finish.”

Much of
the success of the project can be attributed to the many township
organizations, businesses, and individuals who arranged for much needed private
funding, advice, materials, and assistance. Some of those who were instrumental
in the process were Montclair Arts Council board member Dale Jacobs, Saunders
Hardware owner Tom Vultee, architect John Way, and Classics Reborn, LLC, which
built the frame and mounted the mural, among others.

Acknowledgement
of the art and design students who put brush to canvas to make the mural a
reality is also in order. Congratulations to undergraduate students Kyle
Coniglio, Andrew Fondanarosa, Melissa Graff, Alfred Marroquin, and Daniela
Puliti, and graduate students Gianluca Bianchino, Gavin Gewecke, Saydi Kaufman,
Ji Yong Kim, and Sarah Zar.

The mural has been on display
since July and an official dedication ceremony was held on September 25.